Islands of Hope

Chapter 52

They walked down a thin corridor that connected the bomb room to the cockpit. This machine had one purpose, so all available room had been handed over to the destructive orbs. The corridor ended in a metal door, a small window with thick glass set around eye height. You could see though, but needed to be really looking; luckily for Alejandra and Daniel, those inside the cockpit were otherwise engaged.

Alejandra pressed herself against one wall, making sure she was not visible through the window. A frustrated head jerk told Daniel to do the same on the other side. He had not questioned her authority yet, and decided not to do so again.

Looking at Daniel, Alejandra shook her head. Daniel shrugged, wondering what he had done wrong this time. Only when offered a gun, did he realise she thought he was unprepared for the battle ahead. However, Daniel never intended to fight. He was a pacifist more than a warrior. Yes, he got himself embroiled in a battle, but for all the right reasons. After the rebellion succeeded, he would go back to flying aircraft commercially and get as far away from fights as possible. Now, however, he needed to take the gun or face the wrath of Alejandra. He grabbed the barrel, pausing a little too long. With a silent grunt, Alejandra snatched it back, turning the gun around so the handle now pointed towards Daniel. Red in the face, he grasped it, making sure his fingers were as far away from the trigger as possible. He had to hold the gun, but no-one said he had to use it.

Alejandra motioned to herself, then held up a finger. Next, she pointed to Daniel, thumbed back up the passage the way they had come, before pointing at the door to the cockpit. Whatever she was indicating, Daniel had no time to react. Alejandra slammed a silver button at her side. The door slid open. From the two seats set in front of dials, switches and touch screens, turned the pilots. Both wore the traditional blue Princips jumpsuits with black helmets, the visors up and face masks swinging free. Unlike their ground dwelling compatriots, they had no protecting for fighting in such close quarters. The bullets ripped through both before they could say a word, leaving two corpses slumped in chairs. As if materialising out of thin air, a third pilot appeared from a crawl space to Alejandra's left. His plan had been to jump her, using surprise as his ally. In the cramped cockpit, there was no space to achieve his goal. Instead, he got a pistol rammed into his face, then head smashed against the glass encasing the flight deck. He dropped, unconscious, and rolled back from whence he came.

Daniel watched in stunned silence as Alejandra grasped one of the pilots and yanked him from the seat. As the pilot landed with a dull thump, Alejandra said, "right, you get in that seat and I'll sort out the other one." Daniel could only stare at the horrific scene in front of him. Two dead bodies, one unconscious, and Alejandra acted like nothing had happened, it was all just a job to her. "Quick, quick, we don't have all day."

Daniel, now too scared to question her, almost jumped into the seat and familiarised himself with the controls. As Alejandra moved the other pilot, a lighter small framed female, Daniel noticed a flashing on one of the touch screens. It appeared to be the symbol that told a message was coming through. He pressed it, preparing to make up a lie about the situation. Instead, his face contorted in shock, then joy. As Alejandra sat in the seat next to him, Daniel said, "hey, have you heard this?"

Through the small speaker on the control panel came the message, "stand down, stand down, desist attack. A new Chief Executive has been named and has called the attack off."

~

Dust sprayed into Imka's eyes as another bullet deflected off the rooftop wall. Sweat had taken some dirt from her face, but an additional layer was now added. Spitting out grit, Imka raised her rifle with aching arms. Enough wall remained to allow her to rest and aim. She waited, watching closely for a soldier to reveal himself. The fighting had gone on long enough for her to know where they would appear. The rifle trained on the edge of an alcove, she breathed deeply. A whooshing noise shook her. The bullet came too close, a centimetre lower, and she would be dead now. Imka cursed herself for showing too much of her body; but any more self loathing would have to wait. From his known hiding space, the Princips soldier appeared. Before he managed to reel off his shot, he dropped. It amazed Imka; she was not usually this good a shot, the adrenaline coursing through her body must be steadying her hand. Another volley complete, both parties ducked to the relative safety of their hiding holes.